"Then show her the fashion collection," Patricia whispered sharply. "She doesn't need the Aurora pieces. You and I both know what she's doing."
Kevin resisted the urge to look toward Diana. "She asked about the Aurora necklace specifically. I think we should finish the consultation."
"Kevin, I hired you to manage operations, not to lecture me about sales strategy," Patricia said. "The Blackstones have purchased more here in a year than that woman could spend in a lifetime. Learn to read a room."
He stepped back, aware that the Blackstones had heard enough to recognize the insult. For a moment he felt the familiar pressure to stop intervening and let the manager make her own choices. Then he remembered the security incident last month when an innocent visitor had been asked to open her handbag merely because Patricia considered her clothes inappropriate. He had disliked his own silence afterward. He was tired of accumulating examples he had been too cautious to confront.
Diana began walking toward the seating area, moving slowly enough not to startle anyone or appear confrontational. She stopped at a respectful distance from the Blackstones and waited until Patricia finished a sentence. Then she said, "Excuse me. I'd still like to discuss purchasing the Aurora necklace. Could we finish the consultation?"
Patricia's eyes flashed. She had been trying to make the woman understand that her presence was unwelcome without saying so in words that could become a complaint. Now the woman had approached a private conversation and forced the issue. Patricia's embarrassment turned quickly into anger.
"I really think you'd be more comfortable with our fashion jewelry," she said, loud enough for employees behind the counter to hear. "Those pieces are under five hundred dollars. There's no need to strain yourself over merchandise at a much higher price point."
Diana stood still for a moment. Five hundred dollars was enough to buy meaningful gifts, and she sold those gifts proudly. It was not the number that offended her, but the contempt concealed inside the suggestion and the assumption that Patricia had a right to determine what was financially comfortable for a woman she had never met. In a store bearing Diana's name and values, the insult felt almost surreal.
"I appreciate that you have other options," Diana said. "I am asking to purchase the Aurora necklace priced at three hundred fifty thousand dollars. Will you assist me?"
Patricia laughed. Not a nervous exhalation, not a smile escaping through surprise, but a genuine laugh that drew every pair of eyes in the room. Mr. Blackstone looked down at his watch. His wife stopped fingering the edge of her scarf.
"If you're serious," Patricia said, "I'll need to see proof of funds before we continue. Bank statements, available credit, something that demonstrates you can actually afford it."
"Is that a requirement for every customer who requests this necklace?" Diana asked.
"For purchases at this level, yes. It's standard practice," Patricia answered.
Diana glanced toward the Blackstones, who had been trying on pieces of comparable value for nearly a quarter of an hour. "Have you asked them for bank statements?"
Patricia's face tightened. "The Blackstones are established clients. We know who we're dealing with."
"Then could you tell me what you know about me?" Diana asked. "You haven't asked my name."